Harvey Weinstein at the 24th annual amfAR fundraiser during the Cannes Film Festival at the Hotel Eden Roc in Cap D'Antibes on May 25, 2017. (John Rainford/WENN.com)

(WENN) —

Embattled movie producer Harvey Weinstein has reached out to friends about "the worst nightmare of my life" in a leaked email.

More than 80 women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault, harassment or rape against the movie mogul since October 2017, and he is currently awaiting trial in New York on sexual assault charges.

On Wednesday night, editors at TMZ.com published an email they obtained which was written by Weinstein. They claimed it was sent to members of the media he used to work with before the scandal broke out. In the email, Weinstein gave each recipient a series of links to articles about the New York case and criticized the police investigation before asking them to help him tell his side of the story.

"I've had one hell of a year... the worst nightmare of my life," he wrote. "As you can see from these articles, the police have played a very difficult role in my investigation. All 3 police officers have either been retired, or repositioned from the SVU (Special Victims Unit). The articles are self explanatory, but I'd like to speak to you on the phone if you have some time. There is more to this story... I appreciate your confidentiality.

"Have a read of these articles. I wish I didn't have to ask, but I'd be very appreciative of your time. Best, Harvey."

Weinstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman has confirmed the email's authenticity, but claims it was sent to a group of close friends.

The 66-year-old has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex and has pleaded not guilty to the criminal counts, which relate to the alleged rape of an unidentified woman in his hotel room in 2013 and allegedly forcing another into a sex act in 2006. His legal team are trying to get the case dismissed.

A sexual misconduct charge was dropped in October amid reports suggesting the lead detective in the case had tampered with a witness.